Agenda

• Grammar – Run-On Sentences

• Exploratory Essay Review

• Live Writing

• Close

• Homework: 1) Find another possible source. Do the same summary exercise.

• 2) Read and Annotate “Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name” pp. 94-97

Run-On Sentence Tuesday!

Run-On Sentences

• Run-on sentences are independent clauses that have not been joined correctly.

• But Alisa: What is an Independent Clause?

• Easy: An Independent clause is a word group that can stand alone as a sentence.

• (This means it 1) has a subject, 2) has a verb and 3) expresses a complete thought.

Giggle. No, seriously: Giggle.

Run-On Sentences

• When two independent clauses appear in one sentence, they MUST be joined in 1 of 2 ways:

1. With a comma and a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS – for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

2. With a semicolon (;) or occasionally with a colon (:) or a dash (-)

Recognizing Run-On Sentences

• Fused Sentence:

• When a writer puts no punctuation mark and no coordinating conjunction between independent clauses. Example:

• Air pollution poses risks to all humans it can be deadly for asthma sufferers.

Fixes

• Comma and coordinating conjunction:

• Air pollution poses risks to all humans, and it can be deadly for asthma sufferers.

• Semicolon:

• Air pollution poses risks to all humans; it can be deadly for asthma sufferers.

Your Turn

• Recognizing run-on sentences is beneficial to writers it helps them eliminate clumsy writing from their work.

• Fix??

Yay! William Faulkner is proud of you.

Recognizing Run-On Sentences

• More common is the insidious comma splice –two (or more) independent clauses joined with a comma but without a coordinating conjunction.

• Type A – Comma alone.

• Air pollution poses risks to all humans, it can be deadly for asthma sufferers.

Recognizing Run-On Sentences

• Type B – Comma with a word that is NOT a coordinating conjunction (this is why we memorize the FANBOYS).

• Air pollution poses risks to all humans, however, it can be deadly for asthma sufferers.

• “However” is a transitional expression and cannot be used with a comma to join two independent clauses – use a semicolon.

Cute kitten picture

Revising Run-On Sentences – 4 Choices

• Choice #1 – Use a Comma and a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS – for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

• Example: Air Pollution poses risks to all humans, but it can be deadly for asthma sufferers.

Revising Run-On Sentences – 4 Choices

• Choice #2 – Use a semicolon (or, if appropriate, a colon or a dash). Use “degrees of separation” to determine if colon is ok.

• Example: Air pollution poses risks to all humans; it can be deadly for asthma sufferers.

• Air pollution poses risks to all humans; however, it can be deadly for asthma sufferers.

Revising Run-On Sentences – 4 Choices

• Choice #3 – Make the clauses into separate sentences.

• Example: Air pollution poses risks to all humans. It can be deadly for asthma sufferers.

Revising Run-On Sentences – 4 Choices

• Choice #4 – Restructure the sentence, perhaps by subordinating (!!!) one of the clauses.

• Example: Although air pollution poses risks to all humans, it can be deadly for asthma sufferers.

Cute Puppy Picture

Want more practice???

• Do Exercise G6-2 (page 250) and/or

• Exercise G6-3

Writing Prompt

• Choice A – Evaluate your source. Why is it credible? What perspective/point of view does it offer in response to your anchor question? Which part of the source in particular are you likely to engage deeply with in your Exploratory Essay.

• Choice B – Describe your situation/scenario. Why are you curious about/perplexed by it? What do you hope to satisfy by the time you explore three different sources/perspectives?

Share

Exploratory Essay RevisitedRemember, many paper assignments call for you to establish a position and defend that position with an effective argument.

However, some assignments are not argumentative, but rather, they are exploratory.

Exploratory essays ask questions and gather information that may answer these questions.

However, the main point of the exploratory or inquiry essay is not to find definite answers. The main point is to conduct inquiry into a topic, gather information, and share that information with readers.

Got that????

• You do not have to argue for a solution to the problem at this point.

• The point of the exploratory essay is to ask an inquiry question and find out as much as you can to try to answer your question. Then write about your inquiry and findings.

Introduction• Set the context – provide general information about

the main idea, explaining the situation so the reader can make sense of the topic and the questions you will ask

• State why the main idea is important – tell the reader why s/he should care and keep reading. Your goal is to create a compelling, clear, and educational essay people will want to read and act upon

• State your research question – compose a question or two that clearly communicate what you want to discover and why you are interested in the topic. An overview of the types of sources you explored might follow your research question.

Looking Ahead: Forecast

• If your inquiry paper is long, you may want to forecast how you explored your topic by outlining the structure of your paper, the sources you considered, and the information you found in these sources. Your forecast could read something like this:

Sample Forecast

• In order to explore my topic and try to answer my research question, I began with news sources. I then conducted research in scholarly sources, such as peer-reviewed journals. Lastly, I conducted an interview with a primary source. All these sources gave me a better understanding of my topic, and even though I was not able to fully answer my research questions, I learned a lot and narrowed my subject for the next paper assignment, the problem-solution report.

Hillary and Tenzing

The first explorers to reach the top of Everest

Live Writing

• Extend your journal entry into a Shitty First Draft of your introduction, or a Shitty First Draft of your examination and response to Source Number One.

Homework

• 1) Find another possible source. Do the same summary exercise.

• 2) Read and Annotate “Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name” pp. 94-97